Review: Maneater (Unnatural)

Ever since the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears was first told around a campfire, stories of marauding bears have always fuelled the imaginations (and nightmares) of humans. While there have been plenty of films about rogue bears hunting people down, there is no outright classic bear movie that stands head and shoulder above all others. Maneater (or Unnatural as it is known in the States) is the latest film to attempt to claim the title of “king of the bear movies” for itself.

James began to wonder if saying they could take his gun from his “cold dead hands” was in fact a poor choice of words…

Our story takes place in the Alaskan wilderness, where a pro photographer is planning a sexy fashion shoot out on the ice. Unbeknownst to him and his crew, their photography session takes place dangerously close to a hi-tech research lab where (most likely mad) scientists have cooked up a new breed of super bear that is highly resistant to climate change (the film is somewhat vague with regard to how this is the case – does it drive a hybrid car or something?). The unforeseen side-effects of creating such a super bear include enhanced strength and imperviousness to conventional weaponry. As genetically enhanced unstoppable killing machines tend to do, the bear escapes from captivity and starts picking off people one by one in grizzly (really? –Ed) fashion.

All of your stock B-movie characters are present and accounted for in Maneater; we have the sleazy cameraman, the disillusioned intern, a sketchy scientist, the strong woodsman type, an aloof native and a couple of bikini girls thrown in for good measure. Once these archetypes posing as people are introduced, the audience can get down to the serious business of guessing who gets killed next, and will the method of dispacthal consist of being eaten alive or simply mauled by super bear’s mighty paws (drinking games ahoy!). Despite such limited characters, it must be said that the actors in Maneater do a pretty good job overall. You won’t see any Oscars being handed out for the performances, but everybody puts the effort in, allowing the film to be bearable (bearable?!!? –Ed) during lulls in the action.

Maneater keeps its beastie well-hidden for the most part, allowing a sense of intrigue to build. Hinting at the danger and only offering brief glimpses of the monster until the final third also ensures that the filmmakers have to be a bit creative when it comes to killing characters off without revealing their big beastie. One such instance sees (or rather, doesn’t see) the bear taking someone out via a variation of a technique called spy hopping, a behaviour which has only recently been documented by scientists in relation to polar bears. When we do finally get a good look at the super bear, the puppetry effects are fairly reasonable if not spectacular, so the filmmakers were wise to avoid relying on special effects too much.

While Maneater is not a creature feature classic, it is a worthwhile watch for fans of the sub-genre and makes for an entertaining enough 90 minutes. Just be sure to stick around for the final encounter, as it involves one of the more inventive novelty slayings to be seen in recent movie memory.

Sean is Geek Ireland's resident dinosaur enthusiast, having been fascinated by prehistory since a time before he could read, speak or stand in an upright position (he still struggles to do at least one of these things on a daily basis).
Known as one of the biggest dinosaur fans Ireland has ever produced, Sean has delivered talks on his favourite subject at many venues and events including the Irish Film Institute, the UCD Science Expression Festival, Tayto Park, Dublin Comic Con and even London's Comedy Store.